Crazy Wireless PCI Search

bhav2007 · Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2005 5:45 pm Post subject: Crazy Wireless PCI Search

I love Gentoo, and I have successfully installed it on an Inspiron 5100 without posting for help. However, I have finally found my match: finding a wireless pci adaptor. I have just built a brand new desktop (Athlon 3500 and A8n-sli deluxe). I need to connect to my 802.11b network through a pci card. Since I am planning to run a fully 64-bit installation, I really want native linux support through a kernel module (best) or a compilable, open-source driver (also good).
I have found several sources which recommend different cards, but every time I think I have it I find a new source which says the company has changed their chipset! I feel like somebody up there is laughing at me.
So I need some of that community help which makes linux so great. Can somebody please give me a name and model number of a currently available wireless pci card which has native support under linux? I'd love to get a 'g' card since they are only about $15 more but I have seen the crazy problems the developers of those drivers are having. I dont really mind using ndiswrapper for a little while as long as native support is coming. Maybe something with a prism54 chipset?

fortytwoandrising · n00b Joined: 20 Feb 2005 Posts: 5 Location: Fremont, CA

There are lots of chipsets supported now with ndiswrapper, madwifi, and all those. So buy one then worry about getting it to work, heh. Or just search the internet...lots of info if you look. I use a laptop with an Atheros wireless card, works great with madwifi or ndiswrapper. I also had one that used a Cisco 350 card that worked fine with ndiswrapper. Pretty much anything you've read about you'll be able to get working relatively easy. Especially with Gentoo, easy to get software with Portage.

but...just search google.

MadWifi Supported: http://www.mattfoster.clara.co.uk/notes/madwifi-hw
ndiswrapper supported: http://ndiswrapper.sourceforge.net/phpwiki/index.php/List?PHPSESSID=38b59b23250e6203b71fae47eb01fc32
http://prism54.org
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"Tact is the art of making others believe they know more than you do."
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bhav2007 · Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2005 9:23 pm Post subject:

Well I dont want to use the ndiswrapper unless absolutely necessary because I dont want to go through the possible problems associated with using windows drivers in a 64 bit system. Also, I cant install using an ndiswrapper card. The other problem is that many companies (as listed on prism54.org) are replacing their chips with hardware functionality for wep, etc with chips which do that stuff in the driver, so many cards of are no longer supported.